Manifold valve assembly

ABSTRACT

A manifold valve assembly for selectively interconnecting a row of ports to control the flow of fluid in the lines coupled thereto. The assembly includes a valve block in whose upper face is formed a shallow well. Extending from the well to a plane parallel to the lower face of the block is a row of cylinders whose lower ends define valve seats that communicate with ports projecting from the lower face. A channel indented in the well serves to laterally interconnect the mouths of the cylinders with each other. Seated in the well and sealing the mouths of the cylinders is a pad of elastomeric material from which is projected a row of hollow, axially-expandable nipples that extend into and are coaxially disposed within the cylinders, the nipples all having a normal length that falls short of the valve seats. Mounted above the valve block is an actuator block having a row of tubes therein in axial alignment with the cylinders. Supported in each tube is the retractable push rod of a spring-biased click mechanism. The lower end of each rod protrudes into a respective nipple, the upper end thereof being coupled to a normally-raised push-button. The arrangement is such that when a given button is pressed in, the push rod associated therewith is advanced axially to a degree limited by the click to cause the associated nipple to expand and engage the valve seat, thereby closing the valve. When this same button is again pressed in, the click is released to cause the rod to retract and thereby open the valve, the button then being returned to its raised position. Thus by operating the buttons, one may select the valves to be opened or closed and thereby connect the lines associated with the ports in any desired manner.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to manifold valve assemblies toselectively control the passage of fluid through a group of ports, andmore particularly to a valve assembly having a row of click-typepush-button actuators, one for each valve, to facilitate the selectionof the valves and to indicate their operating status.

Many industrial, commercial and medical applications exist for amulti-port valve assembly adapted to direct an incoming fluid into oneor more selected ports and to block flow into all other ports. Forexample, in intravenously supplying a saline or other solution to apatient by means of catheters inserted at various points in the vascularsystem of the patient or in a venous pressure measuring instrument suchas that disclosed in the Miller et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,389, in whichfluid must be directed in various paths, the need exists for a selectivevalve mechanism capable of carrying out the desired procedures.

To this end, the common practice is to employ a multiposition stopcockwhose structure is such that each setting thereof brings about a fluidconnection between two or more lines in a network thereof while blockingall other lines. Because in such multi-position valves there is usuallya single rotatable or adjustable valve member which cooperates with agroup of ports that are interconnected or blocked, depending on theoperative position of this member, the dimensional tolerances of thevalve must be stringent. This factor makes such valves difficult andexpensive to manufacture.

Moreover, such multi-position valves are relatively hard to operate.When the valve actuator is to be shifted or turned to a particularsetting by one hand, the other hand of the operator must be used tograsp and steady the valve body. The operator must then exercise care insetting the valve actuator to the appropriate position for the desiredline connections.

But apart from these practical limitations is the fact that conventionalmulti-position valves provide no positive indication of their operatingstatus. Though an operator conversant with the valve and its portconnections should know its status, this is subject to human error. Forexample, if, say, at position 3 of a particular multi-position valve, aninput line is connected to the first output port of a group of fourports, all others then being blocked, and at position 4, the input lineis connected to the second and fourth ports, all others then beingblocked, these line connections are not evident merely from the settingof the valve actuator; for the operator must be informed as to therelationship of each setting to the line connections. Inasmuch as theoperator, in the case of a medical application for the valve assembly,is generally a nurse with many other responsibilities, the likelihood oferror is high.

Another factor that must be taken into account, particularly in medicaland pharmaceutical uses, is the sterilizability of the valve; forcontamination of the fluid being controlled must be avoided. When thevalve is of the usual multiposition type having occluded surfaces, fulland effective sterilization of all valve areas in contact with the fluidis very difficult to effect.

While various forms of manifold-type valves are known in the prior artprovided with a row of valves which are separately and individuallyactuated, such manifold-type valves fail to satisfy the variousrequirements dictated by medical and other applications. Typical priorart patents disclosing manifold or gang type valve assemblies are thoseissued to Axelrod U.S. Pat. No. 3,459,221 and Stewart U.S. Pat. No.3,552,436.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, the main object of this invention is toprovide a manifold valve assembly for selectively interconnecting a rowof ports to control the flow of fluid in the lines coupled thereto in astructural arrangement which within practical limits lends itself to anynumber of operative ports. Thus while an assembly in accordance with theinvention can be embodied in a three-port structure, it is also feasibleto construct a five or nine port structure operating on the sameprinciples.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide amanifold valve assembly in which each port can be individuallycontrolled, whereby any one of the ports in the gang or row thereof maybe intercoupled with one or more of the other ports, the remaining portsthen being blocked.

Also an object of this invention is to provide a manifold valve assemblywhose dimensional tolerances are far less stringent than those in priorart arrangements, and in which there exists a fixed seal around the areaof the assembly requiring sterilization, there being no occludedsurfaces within this area.

A significant feature of the invention resides in the fact that thevalves of the assembly are push-button actuated and can be operated witha single hand. And because of this push-button arrangement, the assemblyaffords a positive indication of the status of each valve, for a closedvalve condition is represented by a depressed button, and an opencondition by a raised button.

Briefly stated, these objects are accomplished in an assembly inaccordance with the invention which includes a valve block in whoseupper face there is formed a shallow well, a row of cylinders whosemouths are flush with the base of the well extending from the well to aplane parallel to the lower face of the block to thereby define valveseats that communicate with a corresponding row of ports projecting fromthe lower face.

A channel indented in the base of the well serves to laterallyinterconnect the mouths of the cylinders with each other. Seated withinthe well and sealing the mouths of the cylinders is a pad of elastomericmaterial from which project a row of hollow axially-expandable nippleswhich extend into and are coaxially disposed with the cylinders, thenipples all having a normal length which falls short of the valve seats.

Mounted above the valve block is an actuator block having a row of tubestherein in axial alignment with the cylinders. Supported in each tube isthe retractable push rod of a spring-biased click mechanism, the lowerend of the rod protruding into a respective nipple, the upper endthereof being coupled to a normally raised push-button. The arrangementis such that when a given button is pressed in, the push rod associatedtherewith is advanced axially to a degree limited by the click to causethe associated nipple to expand and engage the valve seat, therebyclosing the valve. When the same button is again pressed in, the clickis released to cause the rod to retract, to thereby open the valve andreturn the button to its raised position.

Thus by manipulating the proper buttons, one may select those valves inthe row which are to be opened or closed and thereby connect the linesassociated with the ports in any desired manner. Since the closed valvesare indicated by depressed buttons and the open valves by raisedbuttons, the position of the buttons in the row affords a positiveindication of the status of the valves.

OUTLINE OF DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects andfurther features thereof, reference is made to the following detaileddescription to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a manifold valve assembly in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the valve block of the assembly;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the elastomeric nipple pad which isinserted in the valve block;

FIG. 4 shows a single valve in the valve block and its relation to theexpandable nipple therein; and

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the function of the manifold valveassembly.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Valve Structure:

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2,there is shown a ganged manifold valve assembly which includes a valveblock 10 and a similarly-dimensioned actuator block 11 joined thereto.Both blocks are preferably fabricated of a transparent synthetic plasticmaterial such as nylon, polyethylene, "Teflon" or any other inertmaterial of good structural strength that is non-reactive with thefluids to be controlled by the assembly and capable of being sterilizedby standard autoclave or gas purification techniques.

Valve block 10 has a shallow well 12 indented in its top face. Bored inblock 10 is a row of identical parallel cylinders 13A, 13B, 13C, and13D, whose mouths are flush with the base of the well, the cylindersextending from the well to a plane adjacent to the lower face of block10. Communicating with cylinders 13A to 13D and in axial alignmenttherewith is a row of corresponding ports 14A, 14B, 14C and 14D whoseinternal diameter is smaller than that of the cylinders. The junction ofthe cylinders and the ports define, as best seen in FIG. 4, a valve seatV_(s).

Coupled to ports 14A to 14D are flexible pipes or lines L_(a), L_(b),L_(c) and L_(d) for conducting fluid. In practice, a fluid to becontrolled may be fed into the assembly through line L_(a) then servingas an input line, the assembly determining the selective distribution ofthis fluid through output lines L_(b) to L_(d). And while a gang of fourvalve cylinders and associated ports are illustrated, in practice aslittle as three or as many as five or more may be used; for thestructure, within practical limits, inherently lends itself to a gang ofany desired number.

The mouths of cylinders 13A to 13D are laterally interconnected bychannel sections 15₁, 15₂ and 15₃ indented in the base of the well sothat if the line L_(a) supplies fluid into cylinder 13A, this fluid isfed through these channel sections into cylinders 13B, 13C and 13D.

Seated in well 13 of the valve block and fully occupying the well spaceis a pad 16 of elastomeric material. In practice, this pad may be formedof natural or synthetic rubber, such as Neoprene or silicone rubber. Thenature of the elastomeric material depends on the fluid to be controlledand must be compatible therewith. Pad 16 is bonded to the surface of thewell and serves to hermetically seal the mouths of the cylinders.

Pad 16 is provided with a projecting row of tubular, axially-expandablenipples 17A to 17D whose mouths, which are accessible on the top of thepad, are open, the free ends of the nipples being closed. In practice,to facilitate expansion and retraction of the nipples, they arepreferably in the form of bellows of elastomeric material.

Nipples 17A to 17D protrude into the correspondingly-lettered cylinders13A to 13D and are coaxial therewith to provide fluid chamberssurrounding the nipples. The normal length of each nipple, as shown inFIG. 4, is such that its free end reaches an open-valve point N_(o)which falls short of valve seat V_(s). When extended in a manner to belater described, the nipple sealably engages valve seat V_(s) at pointN_(c) to close the valve.

As shown in FIG. 1, actuator block 11 is provided with a row ofpush-buttons 18A to 18D that are operatively coupled to push rods 19A to19D, respectively, which pass through tubes 20A to 20D formed in theactuator block. These tubes are in registration with thecorrespondingly-lettered cylinders 13A to 13D in the valve block, thepush rods extending fully into nipples 17A to 17D.

Push rods 19A to 19D are spring-biased and cooperate with a clickmechanism disposed in tubes 20A to 20D. This mechanism is not shown, forit is of conventional construction of the type found, for example, inretractable ball point pens or in push-button keyboards for channelselectors in radio equipment.

Valve Operation:

The click mechanism operation is such that when a button, such as button18A, is pressed in from its normally raised position, it then advancesthe associated push rod axially to stretch nipple 17A until point N_(c)is reached to close the valve, this position being held by the detent orclick.

When push-button 18A is again pressed in, it acts to release the detent,the button then returning from its depressed position to itsnormally-raised position at which the nipple is disengaged from thevalve seat to open the valve.

The function of the assembly can best be understood from an examinationof FIG. 5, where it will be seen that buttons 18A and 18C are raised,thereby opening the associated valves, whereas buttons 18B and 18D aredepressed, thereby closing the associated valves.

With incoming fluid flowing into line L_(a) and going through the firstopen valve cylinder 13A, the fluid is then distributed to the fluidchamber in the other three valve cylinders 13B, 13C and 13D. But sinceonly cylinder 13C is open, fluid passes out of the chamber of this valveinto line L_(c), passage to the other lines being blocked. One can, ofcourse, manipulate the buttons to cause the fluid to go out throughlines L_(b), L_(c) and L_(d) or only through line L_(c) and L_(d), oronly through line L_(b) or line L_(d). It becomes possible, therefore,to provide any desired permutation of connections in a line network.

The status of the valves is positively indicated, in that raised buttonsrepresent an open-valve condition, while depressed buttons reflect aclosed-valve condition. When all of the valves are open, none of theactive valve surfaces is occluded; hence the internal structures incontact with the fluid can be fully sterilized by conventionalprocedures for this purpose.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of amanifold valve assembly in accordance with the invention, it will beappreciated that many changes and modifications may be made thereinwithout, however, departing from the essential spirit thereof. Forexample, instead of a click mechanism, the rods may be threadablyreceived in the tubes of the actuator mechanism whereby by turning therods in one direction by an end button, the rod is caused to advanceaxially to close the valve and by turning it in the reverse direction,the rod is retracted to open the valve.

I claim:
 1. A manifold valve assembly for selectively interconnecting agroup of lines to control the flow of fluid therethrough, said assemblycomprising:A a valve block having a row of cylinders formed thereinwhich communicate at their lower ends with a row of ports projectingfrom the block and coupled to the respective lines in the group, thejunction of said ports and cylinders defining valve seats, the upperends of the cylinders being interconnected whereby fluid admitted intoany cylinder in the row thereof flows into the other cylinders; B acorresponding row of axially-expandable tubular nipples coaxiallysupported within the respective cylinders to define fluid chamberstherein, said nipples having a normal length terminating at a firstpoint that falls short of said valve seats, whereby each cylinder andnipple define a normally-open valve; and C a row of push-button actuatedpush rods projecting into said nipples; the buttons in the row havingnormally raised positions; each rod, when pushed in by pressing itsassociated button, acting to axially expand the related nipple to asecond point in sealing engagement with the valve seat of the cylinderto close the valve, the rod being detented at said second point tomaintain the associated button at a depressed position whereby when theassociated button is again pressed to release the detent, it returns toits raised position at which the valve is open, the buttons in the rowtherefore being indicative of the status of the valves.
 2. An assemblyas set forth in claim 1, wherein said valve block has indented in itstop face a well whose base is flush with the upper ends of thecylinders, said well being occupied by a pad of elastomeric materialintegral with said row of nipples.
 3. An assembly as set forth in claim2, wherein said pad and nipples are formed of rubber.
 4. An assembly asset forth in claim 1, wherein said nipples have a bellows formation. 5.An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein said row of push-buttonactuated push rods is supported in an actuator block joined to saidvalve block.
 6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 5, wherein saidactuator block is provided with a row of tubes through which said rodsextend.
 7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, further including aclick mechanism disposed in each tube.
 8. An arrangement as set forth inclaim 1, wherein there are at least four cylinders in said row thereof.